Sheffield researcher helps shape global policy on school meals and child health

What children eat at school can influence far more than their lunchtime. Access to nutritious food, opportunities to learn about healthy eating, and effective support for adolescent health can all shape young people’s wellbeing, education, and future opportunities. Dr Robert Akparibo , Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Nutrition at the University of Sheffield, is working with international organisations and researchers to ensure these issues receive the attention they deserve in global policy. Dr Akparibo has been recognised with an appointment to serve as Co-Chair of the Global School Meals Coalition Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition. He leads an international network of researchers working to turn evidence into action.

The Consortium helps build the evidence base that governments and policymakers need to strengthen school health and nutrition programmes and improve outcomes for children and adolescents worldwide. His work is contributing to international initiatives spanning education, children and adolescent health and the development of school meal standards, helping connect research with the decisions that affect young people’s lives. One important strand of this work is helping education systems recognise their role in building healthier eating habits that can last a lifetime. The Research Consortium has contributed to UNESCO’s 2025–2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, Learn to Eat Well , which examines how education can support better nutrition and promote lifelong healthy eating behaviours. The report advocates a joined-up approach to food education, embedding food literacy into learning from early childhood through adulthood. This includes formal education as well as non-formal and informal learning, recognising that people need…